Daily Star’s horse to run in world’s most well-known race – the Grand National
EXCLUSIVE: Wendigo made such an impression in front of the Queen at Cheltenham’s Ladies Day he is set to star in the Aintree classic in a front of global TV audience of up to 600m
Wendigo looks a very good thing at Ayr on Thursday says the Daily Star’s chief tipster Jason Heavey(Image: PA)
The Daily Star’s horse is to run in the world’s most famous race – the Grand National.
Trainer Jamie Snowden plans to enter Wendigo in next year’s Aintree classic. It will be beamed to a TV audience of up to 600 million across 170 countries – and boasts £1m in prize money.
We bought a hoof of the horse just minutes before he raced in front of the Queen on Ladies Day at Cheltenham last week. The seven-year-old gelding boasts six wins and four places in 13 starts and is the star of The Racing Club – a syndicate aimed at allowing folk who would not normally be able to afford a thoroughbred to compete in the sport of kings.
And he looked certain to set the sporting world alight as he hurtled through the 16-strong Brown Advisory Novices’ Steeple Chase field to fourth with just one fence to jump. Sadly he stumbled at the last and unseated jockey Gavin Sheehan – leaving 50,000 fans and HRH ‘open-mouthed’, according to observers.
Thankfully Wendigo was fine, has made a full recovery and put in such a promising performance Jamie plans to train him up to take on Aintree’s historic four mile, 514 yard steeplechase. His next big race as part of his preparation is set to be the £250,000 Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in November – previously won by legends Denman and Arkle.
Jamie said: “Wendigo seems to be ok after his tumble at Cheltenham in the week. He has been down splashing in the river, hacking around the bridle paths and we gave him a gentle canter yesterday and he seems fresh and happy in himself.
“We’ll get our vet to check him out this week and then we’ll just see where we are with him before making any plans for the rest of this season. He has the Coral Gold Cup written all over him though.
“And that and the Grand National look the route to take with him next season.” Jamie said the horse had run a ‘big race’ on ‘unsuitable’ ground which was too firm for him.
He said: “He was out of his comfort zone for the whole first circuit but his jumping kept him in there. He was just creeping into it and I was thinking we might just have a chance. He was staying on all the way. And he stumbled and came down.
“It wasn’t quite to be. But we live to fight another day.”
